Presentation to the City of Regina Public Works

Presentation to the City of Regina Public Works Committee July 17, 2012 Devon Young Service Manager

Who am I and why am I here? • 26 years old Regina Resident • Married father of a two year old, with another on the way. • Service Manager of Weed Man Regina which has been in operation in Regina since 1984. • Weed Man opposes the recommendations to Public Works by the EAC.

A Little Background • Reducing the use of pest control products is a shared goal. As a matter of course the City, Wascana Authority and even lawn care operators and home owners reduce all needless product usage as good economic sense. • As a business we work to ensure that we use only what is needed to attain the results our customers demand. • This makes good environmental sense and good fiscal sense. • Last season we looked after over 3, 500 clients accounting for over 3, 000 sq. ft. of lawn that we kept largely weed free while using only. 23 g of product per lawn. • We will increase both client base and area treated by 10% this season.

The Alternatives • Where restrictions are in place we have two so-called low risk alternatives for the control of weeds. Corn Gluten Meal and Iron Chelate, both old and expensive technology. • Corn gluten meal is a food based product with no post emergent control. It has limited pre-emergent control and after a decade of investigation, we only offer it in a few markets where everything else is unavailable. • Iron Chelate is a liquid application. It is somewhat effective but is far more expensive than the products we use now. It’s also more toxic than current products, is needed in much higher volumes; and overuse also stresses the turf.

The Alternatives

The Terms • We, and by extension our customers, also take exception to the term Cosmetic and non-essential. • We know that this term applies primarily to turf. Turf is a valuable investment. • The cost of installing a lawn on a typical residential property can range into the thousands. The average cost of installing a lawn is $1. 50 - $1. 75 per square foot. The average home lawn in Regina is about 2, 500 square feet. Many are even larger. • So to have just an average lawn installed it would cost over $4, 000. • Now imagine the parks and other public spaces, what are worth to the City and it’s citizens?

EAC Recommendation • 1. The City of Regina adopt a policy of avoiding pesticides for cosmetic or non-essential use in the management of lands owned or administered by the City.

EAC Recommendation

Ontario, Pesticide Restrictions in place as of 2009.

Ontario, Pesticide Restrictions in place as of 2009. .

EAC Recommendation • The City of Regina encourage the Regina Public School Board and the Regina Catholic School Board to avoid pesticides for cosmetic or non-essential use in the management of lands under the jurisdiction of each school board.

EAC Recommendation • The City of Regina encourage the Regina Public School Board and the Regina Catholic School Board to avoid pesticides for cosmetic or nonessential use in the management of lands under the jurisdiction of each school board.

EAC Recommendation

The trend is rapidly changing Ted Chudleigh, a Conservative MPP in Ontario introduced a private members bill which would allow professionals to use Health Canada Approved products. According to Mr. Chudleigh…

The trend is rapidly changing • These products are RIGOROUSLY TESTED AND MONITORED BY HEALTH CANADA. • Surely the entirely UNPROVEN CONCERNS of a few POLITICALLYCONNECTED • FEAR-MONGERERS should be balanced against the STRICTLYTESTED, LENGTHY AND SCIENTIFICALLYDOCUMENTED USE OF PESTICIDES applied under controlled conditions to deal with human health problems caused by noxious plants and disease-carrying insects. • The current regime encourages people to purchase pesticides and apply them in strong concentrations.

The trend is rapidly changing On June 4 th, 2012, members of Hamilton’s Public Works Committee backed Ancaster Councilor Lloyd Ferguson’s motion to ALLOW PEST CONTROL PRODUCTS TO BE USED BY LICENSED OPERATORS as part of the municipality’s Integrated Pest Management program. « Our community was embarrassing this year » , said Ferguson. « The sports fields are grossly infested [ with weeds ] now. » Ferguson pointed out three years after the ban went into effect, WEEDS HAVE TAKEN OVER MOST CITY-OWNED FACILITIES.

The trend is rapidly changing Ferguson said the park at the five-year-old Ancaster Town Square may have to be RE-SODDED because THE WEEDS ARE OUT OF CONTROL. Craig Murdoch, Director of Environmental Services, said THE NUMBER OF WEEDS IN CITY PARKS HAVE INCREASED FIVE PER CENT EACH YEAR. In some parks in Hamilton, there is up to a 40 PER CENT WEED TO TURF RATIO. Ferguson said the province has unwittingly CREATED A BLACK MARKET for pest control products, with residents buying these now-banned products from stores in American cities like Buffalo, or from area farmers and even on line!

The trend is rapidly changing

Changing trend continued… • On May 17 th, 2012, British Columbia’s Special Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides announced that it WILL NOT RECOMMEND PROHIBITION against the use of pest control products in the Urban Landscape. Chicago- 2011 -08 -19 Reversed Ban • On July 10 th, 2012, City Councillors in Campbell River REJECTED AN ANTI-PESTICIDE STAFF RECOMMENDATION and SHOT DOWN A PROPOSED PROHIBITION against the use of pest control products used in the Urban Landscape. • On July 9 th, 2011, the Province of ALBERTA, voted down any restrictions

Changing trend continued… • City of CALGARY, Restrictions voted down 2009 – 2011 • City of Edmonton, Restrictions voted down 2012 02 06 • Kamloops, British Columbia, Professional Lawn Care Granted Exception Status 2010 – 2012 • Kelowna, British Columbia, Professional Lawn Care Granted Exception Status 2010 02 08 • Merritt, British Columbia, Restrictions voted down 2010 05 14 • March 8 th, 2011, Salmon Arm, British Columbia, restrictions rescinded, professional lawn care exemption status granted

Changing trend continued… • City Council in Portage la Prairie Manitoba voted to OPPOSE the proposed Provincially proposed Restrictions. • On May 26 th, 2011 in Quebec, Dow defeats the restrictions and forces this admission “the government of Quebec agrees that products containing 2, 4 -D do not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment, provided that the instructions on their label are followed. ” • The most important point here is this, Health Canada’s PMRA stated again on May 16 th 2008 after the tenth review of ALL the available information that “Products containing 2, 4 -D do not pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment”

Education • We are all in favour of an educational process for the people in Regina. • What we oppose is a City funded propaganda war on Health Canada products! • Why duplicate what is already available? • You either believe the PMRA or you don’t!

Signage. • There is no signage requirement from PMRA when using these products. • Is it fair to require professional licenced applicators to sign and untrained homeowners aren’t? • Signs create panic!

Can We Trust Them? • It has been claimed that this campaign is never going to be extended to Agriculture. • This is a lie! • On June 12 th, 2012, Jerilyn Mackie of the CCS stated to the Kamloops City Council “You have to start somewhere (Lawn Care)”…so to come out and start with banning them altogether for everything, it wouldn’t happen. ”

Can We Trust Them? • On November 12 th and 13 th, 2008 The Canadian Cancer Society organized and hosted a conference titled Agricultural Pesticides and Cancer Risk: Exploring the Connection. To quote their website, • “Experts from around the world will lead discussions on the cancer risks of pesticides used on agricultural crops, at a ground-breaking conference organized and hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society. “This conference will be an important first step in setting the agenda for future research and action in this area, ” says Heather Logan, Director, Cancer Control Policy, and Canadian Cancer Society. ”

Conclusion